Receiver for spent shuttles



Dec. 1, 1936. R. G. TURNER RECEIVER FOR sPE'NT SHUTTLES Filed Jan. 31, 1955 Inventor Rmhau'd [Lreemeafi Turner WW Attorneys Hal Patented Dec. 1, 1936 RECEIVER FOR SPENT SHUTTLES Richard Greenleaf Turner, Worcester, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 31, 1935, Serial No.4, 374

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shuttle changing looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide an improved form of receiver for the spent shuttles which are ejected 5 at the time of a shuttle changing operation.

In shuttle changing looms automatically acting means are provided to eject a spent shuttle from the loom when its supply of weft is substantially exhausted and to replace it with a shuttle having a fresh supply of weft. In order that the out-going shuttle may be bruised and damaged as little as possible it is desirable that it fall a minimum distance consistent with complete ejection from the loom, and it is also desirable to have the ejected shuttle in a position readily accessible to the weaver. To accomplish these two results the shuttle receiver is usually placed relatively high and in front of the lay.

.As heretofore constructed, however, the shuttle receptacles have not assisted the shuttle materially in moving completely out of the path of the lay due partly to the fact that in the act of ejectment one end of the shuttle, usually the outer, is likely to be in advance of the other so 5 that it strikes the forward wall of the receptacle and further movement of the shuttle away from the lay is retarded. Shuttle receptacles have been constructed having floors which slope forwardly .and downwardly and this is likely to increase the. blow of the advancing point of the shuttle against the receptacle. If the retarding results in actual stopping of the shuttle it may lie diagonally across the receiver and interfere with later shuttle ejections. So far as I am aware no attempt .has been made to provide for causing the shuttle to continue its motion into the receptacle if the point strikes the wall, and it is an important object of my present invention to provide a construction which will accomplish this result so that the shuttles will be completely and properly ejected from the lay. t

In certain types of shuttle changing looms it is desirable to use an apron of relatively stiff material, such as leather, secured to and moving {.45 backwardly and forwardly with the lay and located under the path of the ejected shuttle. This apron should remain relatively stiff so that it can support the shuttle during ejection and remain over the rear partof the shuttle receiver. A din agonally disposed shuttle in the receiver will lie across the path of the apron, with the result that the latter is damaged by folding and becomes limp and ineffective to perform correctly its function of guiding an outgoing shuttle. It is a further .15 5 t object of my present invention to provide the floor parts hereinafter described and set forth in the of the shuttle receiver with such a formas 'will cause the outgoing shuttle to clear the path of the apron. This result may be accomplished by inclining the floor of the receiver outwardly relai tively to the center of the loom and downwardly. -5

This inclination may if desiredbe coupled with" the former inclination which is forwardly and downwardly so that in efiectthe floor of the shuttle receiver is inclined downwardly andalso in directions forwardly andoutwardly with re- 10 spect to the loom. a It is a further object of the invention to provide the spent shuttle receiver with aninclind guide for the semi-flexible apron or guide carried by the lay so that said apron may havje'a 15 forward part which is more or 'less' parallel/to .the""" floor of the receiver to allow the outgoing shuttle to have the outer point thereof tipped down. 'In this way the shuttle begins to change from a horizontal to an inclined position before it actually strikes the floor of the receiver.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination .and arrangement of 25 claims. l In the accompanying drawing wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention isset forth, Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a shuttle receiving can used the practice of my present inven- 30 tion, Fig. 2 is a front elevation of oneend of the loom showing the relation of my improved shuttle receiver with respect to the adjacent shuttle box} Fig. 3 is an end elevationtaken in the direction 35 of arrow 3, Fig. 2. certain'parts being in'sfection,

and

Fig. 4 is atop plan view of certain of the structure shown in Fig. 2 and looking in the'direction of arrow 4. i I f 40 Referring. particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, I have shown 'a loom frame l0 having a breast beam l l behind which reciprocates a lay l2. The latter may be mounted on swords l3 one of which is shown in Fig. 3 and moves back and forth in the vided with'reserve shuttles one of which is shown to the floor 4| of the compartment.

at S. A shuttle binder B is carried by a support 21 fixed to the lay and has the inner end thereof held by a guide 22. By means of mechanism not shown herein but set forth in prior patent to Ryan No. 1,476,847 the box structure I5 is raised at the time of shuttle change so that the lower box I9 is-in alignment with the shuttle race to receive the oncoming empty shuttle, and the upper box I8 is in position to receive the reserve shuttle S. At a later time in the operation of the loom the box structure I5 is lowered so that the new shuttle is opposite the race to be picked while the lower outgoing depleted shuttle D moves to a position below the binder B so that forward motion of the lay tends to eject it forwardly.

The parts thus far described of themselves form no part of my present invention and may operate in the usual manner as set forth in the aforesaid patent to Ryon.

In carrying my present invention into effect I provide an apron 25 of semi-flexible material such as stiff leather and secure it to the lay, as suggested in Fig. 3, so that it lies below the cell l9 when the box structure I5 is down. This apron 25 extends forwardly and downwardly and serves to guide the outgoing depleted shuttle toward the ,shuttle receiver. The latter comprises a shuttle can 30, the lower part of which may be made as heretofore and extend upwardly to have mounted thereon the shuttle receiving compartment 3i. This compartment comprises an inner end wall 32, a front wall 33, an end outer wall 34, and a back wall 35. Extending rearwardly from the wall is a lip 36 which supports the apron 25 and the end wall 32 may have an inclined guide 3'? to engage the inner end of an outgoing shuttle and cam the latter toward the compartment 3!. The end wall 34 may have secured thereto a wooden block 40 to be struck by the outer point of the outgoing shuttle.

An important feature of my invention relates This floor is supported by the can structure 30 and is surrounded by the previously described walls of the compartment, and it may be formed of wood although this is not an essential feature'of my invention, and it may incline downwardly and forwardly as shown in Fig. 3. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 2, the floor is inclined also downwardly and outwardly from the center of the loom. In this connection it is to be understood that the left hand part of Fig. 2 is toward the center of the loom while the right hand part thereof, or that part near the wooden plate 40, is the outside of the loom.

The apron 25 can have the forward edge thereof as indicated at 42 inclined downwardly and outwardly to conform more or less to the shape of the floor of the compartment. The upper or rear part of the apron where it is attached to the lay may be horizontal, but the lower or for- ,in Figs. 2 and 3.

ward part will assume more or less the position shown in Fig. 2. The lip 36 is inclined downwardly and outwardly to assist the apron in assuming this position. While this is a desirable feature yet I do not consider it essential.

During loom operation the lay will swing back and forth and the apron 25 will slide over the inclined shelf 36, the forward edge 42 of the apron always being somewhat in advance of the back of said shelf so as to preserve the relation shown Vfhen the shuttle D is ejected the lay will ordinarily be in front position and as it "comes momentarily to rest the momentum of the shuttle will carry it forwardly and it will slide over the apron. Gravity will hold the shuttle against the apron and cause it to become inclined so that its outer end will be lower than its inner so that when sliding off the apron the shuttle will be inclined in a direction more or less parallel to the edge 42, as seen in Fig. 2. The rear motion of the lay will carry the apron backwardly in a direction opposite to that in which the outgoing shuttle is moving, and this is found to assist the proper delivery of the shuttle.

Upon leaving the apron the outgoing shuttle strikes the floor 41 and because of the fact that the latter is inclined downwardly and outwardly the shuttle will move from the dotted to the dot and dash position shown in Fig. 4, where its outer point will lie close to or against the wooden plate 40. It sometimes happens that the inner or left end of the shuttle D, as shown in Fig. 4, will be held back so that the outer or right hand leads the inner end with the shuttle diagonally disposed in a direction generally forwardly and to the right as viewed in Fig. 4. Should the shuttle be ejected in this manner its leading end will strike the wall 33 and there will be a temporary tendency to arrest the shuttle. In former constructions where the floor of the compartment has been inclined forwardly only this tendency has been sufficient to stop the shuttle and leave the same in a diagonal position where it can interfere with a subsequent shuttle ejection. In the present instance, however, because of the fact that the floor is inclined downwardly in a direction away from the center of the loom the shuttle continues to move even though its point strikes the wall 33 andit will ultimately reach the dot and dash position shown in Fig. 4 without regard to the manner in which it was ejected from the lower box or cell l9.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple means for effecting correct deliveries of an out-going shuttle of a shuttle changing loom by providing the shuttle receiver with a floor which is inclined downwardly and not only forwardly, but also outwardly with respect to the center of the loom. It will also be seen that the apron 25 is capable of assuming an inclined position corresponding to that of the floor 4| and thus assist in allowing the outgoing shuttle to assume a proper position for correct ejection before it strikes the inclined floor. This relation is facilitated by the inclination of the guide lip 36 of the can or receiver.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a shuttle receiver for a shuttle changing loom operating with a lay having a shuttle box from which a depleted shuttle is ejected, a flexible shuttle guide secured to and moving with the lay and having that part thereof adjacent the shuttle box substantially horizontal, a depleted shuttle receiving compartment having a floor which is inclined downwardly and outwardly from the center of the loom, and a support for the flexible guide substantially parallel to the floor of said compartment and on which the guide rests, said guide when resting on the support having the forward part thereof substantially parallelto the floor and inclined downwardly and outwardly with respect to the center of the loom.

2. In a shuttle changing loom, a lay movable back and forth and from which adepleted shuttle 76 'is ejected, a flexible guide secured to and moving with the lay, a support for the guide which is inclined outwardly and; downwardly away from the center of the loom and on which the flexible guide rests, and a shuttle receiver having a fioor which is inclined downwardly and outwardly from the center of the loom, that part of the flexible guide which the outgoing shuttle leaves before moving to the floor being incIined downwardly and outwardly from the center of the 100m and in contact with the support therefor. RICHARD GREENLEAF TURNER. 

